WASHINGTON ― Joined by Elon Musk in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that seeks to “significantly reduce the size of government” by instructing heads of federal departments and agencies to undertake plans for “large-scale reductions in force.”
Trump’s newest order directs the federal government to implement a “workforce optimization initiative” created by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has been moving rapidly from one department to another to slash spending and gut programs.
“It’s not optional to reduce federal expenses, it’s essential,” Musk, wearing a black MAGA hat and joined by his son, X, said in remarks standing next to Trump, who was seated behind the Resolute Desk. Musk called the federal bureaucracy the “unelected” fourth branch of government and said it must be held accountable.
“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk said, responding to detractors who call his involvement a hostile takeover. “That’s what democracy is all about.”
Agency heads are ordered to “coordinate and consult with DOGE to shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions,” a White House handout about the order says.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk joins U.S. President Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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“Agencies will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force and determine which agency components (or agencies themselves) may be eliminated or combined because their functions aren’t required by law,” the White House document says.
Musk’s appearance with Trump in the Oval Office marked the first time the billionaire SpaceX CEO has taken questions from reporters in a public setting since he’s assumed power in Trump’s second term.
The order comes as Trump’s administration has offered buyouts to nearly all 2.3 million federal employees in a push to drastically reduce the federal workforce. But the offer, which would pay employees through September if they agree to resign, is currently held up in court after a federal judge in Massachusetts extended a pause Monday to hear arguments from both sides in a legal challenge brought by federal employees unions.
The Trump administration has signaled furloughs and layoffs are likely if not enough federal workers agree to the buyouts. More than 60,000 workers have accepted the buyout, which is less than White House projections for 5% to 10% of federal workers to take part.
More: Buyout blocked: Judge extends pause on Trump federal worker plan
Under the order, federal agencies are instructed to hire no more than one employees for every four employees that depart after Trump’s day-one executive order on a federal hiring freeze expires. Exceptions are departments involving immigration, law enforcement and public safety, the White House said.
The order also tasks the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to create new rules to “ensure federal employees are held to the highest standards of conduct.”
A memo last week from the OPM to department and agency heads requested the names of all employees who received less than a “fully successful” performance rating in the past three years. It also asked them to identify potential barriers to ensuring “the ability to swiftly terminate poor performing employees who cannot or will not improve.”
More: Trump administration orders lists of low-performing employees across federal workforce
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Guided by Musk and his DOGE aides, Trump has spent his first three weeks dismantling the federal government, including shutting down the United States Agency for International Development and taking steps to do the same to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Trump has also discussed trying to eliminate the Department of Education.
Musk’s efforts have created showdowns in court that could ultimately decide whether Trump has the executive authority to dismantle the federal government in the ways his administration envisions. Federal judges have halted elements of the USAID shutdown and blocked Musk’s team from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment systems.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, joined by Musk, orders up major cuts to US workforce
